One of the main topics that I’m interested in in video game design is the concept of procedural generation. Procedural generation is the use of code to create things, usually in an indirect or unpredictable way. Most procedural generation techniques use some source of randomness in order to send the system off in surprising directions and to produce large numbers of variations. One of the most prototypical and beloved of these applications was the random dungeon creation in the game Rogue, which lead to a whole genre of games called Roguelikes which have since splintered into sub-genres of games inspired by them. Some call these offshoot games ‘roguelites’ but Raigan Burns has also put forth the term neo-roguelikes or Spelunkylikes, after Derek Yu’s seminal roguelike / platformer fusion Spelunky. In the context of games like Rogue or Spelunky the purpose of procedural level generation is to create a game in which the rules are always the same but the playing field is always different. It becomes impossible to memorize strategies or ‘brute force’ your way to victory. Instead you have to learn to understand that system and in it’s fundamental workings to be able to respond to an endless array of contextual situations thrown up by the procedural level generation. It focuses attention on the area of games which I find most unique to games and interesting, their underlying systems.
The book Procedural Generation In Game Design, edited by Tanya X. Short and Tarn Adams is a wonderful exploration of the thinking and practice behind procedural generation in games, specifically as it relates to game design. Tarn Adams, who I’ve interviewed in the past on my YouTube channel, is a towering figure in the world of procedural games. He and his brother are engaged in the decades long creation process of the game Dwarf Fortress, a game which generates worlds with seemingly fractal complexity containing layers of history, mythology, natural systems and emergent complexity. Adams’ presence as one of the editors of the book lends it tremendous weight in my eyes. His partner in editing Tanya Short has made her own creditable contributions to the world of procedural games through her games Shattered Planet, Moon Hunters and soon Boyfriend Dungeon in which you get to date your weapons. In addition to her work as a developer at her studio Kitfox games she’s made invaluable contributions to the PCG (procedural content generation) community via her talks, articles and contribution as an editor here.
The book collects articles by a wide ranging group of authors ranging from solo indie developers to devs from major studios, each offering unique and interesting perspectives on how PCG can influence the fundamental design of games. I’ve come back to the book again and again for inspiration and read my copy so much that I might need to buy another one. I also left it out in the rain one summer in Upstate New York which didn’t help. I am loath to pick out single articles from the book for unique praise as I think different people will find different articles of value at different times depending on what they are working on. For me the I particularly enjoyed the various contributions by the members of Freehold Games, creators of the awe-inspiring and terrifying Caves of Qud. It’s important to note that the book focuses itself on thinking about PCG, as opposed to listing code samples and algorithms. I think this is a sensible approach as the algorithms and code are fairly easy to find and implement in your favorite language online, whereas the theory and thought process is often less well documented. For those interested in an implementation of many of these ideas in C# for Unity, I can of course humbly recommend my project Strata, which is shamelessly inspired by many of the ideas in the book.
Procedural Generation In Game Design is available via CRC Press. I’ve also heard rumors that there’s a second volume on the way, which I eagerly await.
